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As we get set for the next round of labor negotiations in the major televised sports, including what could be a lengthy pause in the NBA world after this year’s Finals, I thought I’d put the spotlight on another sport in jeopardy. In this case, it’s not a matter of finding an answer to splitting billions of dollars. No, it’s a matter of restoring the “sport of kings” to a state of relevance and solvency. Myriad entities fight tooth and nail for every penny of the public’s entertainment dollar.

In Illinois, horsemen and track owners are trying to get through the legislature to bring slot machines, the electronic salvation, in to fill up their coffers. The tracks continue to lose owners, trainers, drivers and jockeys to other states that have implemented the measure. Should the state step in?